January 24, 2012

The liveliest part of the debate was at the beginning, when Mitt went after Newt—and Republicans all over America watched with fascinated horror at the thought that these are the two GOP frontrunners. The only spectacle in American politics more off-putting than Newt Gingrich in self-righteous defense mode is Mitt Romney in self-righteous attack mode. I thought Mitt’s attacks were somewhat more dishonest than Newt’s defenses were disingenuous, but it was good to move on to the rest of the debate, where little further damage was done.

My conclusion: If Mitch Daniels’s effective tax rate is 30 percent rather than 15 percent, and if he was never paid $1.6 million by Freddie Mac, he can be the next president.

By the way, Mitch Daniels was my original, provisional choice for the GOP nomination, in part because I'm sentimental about Indiana. Kristol's recent Mitchomania interests me!

I'm working on slogans playing off the similarity between the names Mitt and Mitch... but I keep including the word "bitch," so I'll spare you the examples.

53 comments:

As long as its one man or woman, one vote it doesn't matter what the rate is. What matters is the amount paid less the per capita portion of government spending to the tax payer. A guy on welfare gets the same one vote as Romney.

As for Mitch Daniels, nice guy but not presidential. Could make for an effective cabinet officer.

Mitt Romney cannot give any reason why he wants to be President. I have no idea why he is running.

I assume, like basically every other candidate for President, it's because he is a monster of narcissism and ego. Some (Obama, Gingrich) make this more obvious than others, perhaps, but it's true of all of them in this day and age.

Seriously, though, his pitch would probably have to be something like:

All the other potential candidates for the presidency today, including the current President, are dangerously incompetent. I can do a better job than any of my rivals, and there's no one else within striking distance of the presidency who can do a better job than I. That is why I am running for president.

Romney is clearly not running for President with a desire to bring about towering world-historical change. His natural instincts appear to tend to risk-aversion and gradualism. And frankly, that's appealing to me, though it's not a recipe for real passion. "Return to Normalcy" is not exactly a great rallying cry.

Isn't Daniels the penultimate in pussy whipped? Do you really want a guy like that as commander-in-chief? I'm sure he has been a fine governor and would make a great cabinet officer but the POTUS needs to be when necessary a real SOB. Newt in that respects is more than qualified.

And explain what an "offer you cannot turn down" is to his spoiled wife.

The Romney funeral is this weekend. And the GOP elite will march on.

NBC used a silent room last night and the GOP elites will use a smoke filled room next week, if not already done.

Gingrich is a difficult boy.

They ordered him to stand down, like the Paris officials ordered a young Corsican corporal to get his artillery out of town.

But firepower was the only answer they got. Much like that difficult Colonel Jackson and his rabble of French Pirates, Tennessee illiterate but sharpshooting militia on holiday, and local black field slaves shot atn 4000 British redcoats ordering them around at New Orleans.

The Elites of that day had to use a corrupt bargain to block Jackson from the Presidency, but he came back and refused to quit politically anymore than he did on a battlefield.

Hell of an inauguration party, too.

I suspect that Professor Gingrich has studied Jackson and Napoleon at length.

There are times when reality is a pitiless teacher, and this is one of them. You're stuck with the players willing to get on the field, and you've got to figure out how to win with them. No point in fantasizing about the team you could have had.

So stop wimping out and choose -- Mitt or Newt or Rick or Dr. Paulie. Perhaps you're like Bret Stephens this morning, and have concluded that you're stuck with a team of losers and so should expect to lose. Don't be a quitter (that's the worst kind of loser). Make it work!

There is not a whole lot of difference between Truce Daniels and Romney, both a couple of managerial types who are more of the same, business as usual, a tweak here and a tweak there, but not going to really put up a fight for much of anything. In short, establishment worms.

And for you Supreme Court watchers -- yes, Romney's got a lot of that truce in him too as would be seen if he ever got the chance to cement current jurisprudence with squish nominees to the Court (which is why pro-aborts are not really all that worried about Romney).

All the other potential candidates for the presidency today, including the current President, are dangerously incompetent. I can do a better job than any of my rivals, and there's no one else within striking distance of the presidency who can do a better job than I. That is why I am running for president.

The interesting thing with all this talk about bringing in a late candidate like Daniels to save the day is that it seems like the Republicans spend more time attacking and discrediting their possible candidates than the Democrats spend attacking the potential Republican nominees.

Also, can someone explain why no one credible and qualified is actually running for the Republican nomination?

Everyone is always saying how Romney and Newt and Santorum and Paul would be terrible disasters and lose to Obama, but why did no one else run?

The interesting thing with all this talk about bringing in a late candidate like Daniels to save the day is that it seems like the Republicans spend more time attacking and discrediting their possible candidates than the Democrats spend attacking the potential Republican nominees.

Also, can someone explain why no one credible and qualified is actually running for the Republican nomination?

All the people on the Republican side have been qualified and credible (well, with the possible exception of Captain Tin Foil and Barry Lite...).

I wonder if there couldn't be a late primary or convention surprise. (No, I am not talking Sarah, though truth be known, for those who think she's stupid -- she was right smart to sit this out.)

I think there are probably a couple someones out there who could fill the bill, but don't have the egomania. We need someone who will stop -- shoot, I'd even go for severely braking -- the descent we are in, and re-orient the United States and Americans to our unique identity, opportunities and freedom.

Also, can someone explain why no one credible and qualified is actually running for the Republican nomination?

Hahhhahh!

Perry was not a serious candidate for President. Since announcing, he never did anything that indicated he was qualified to be President and constantly embarrassed himself until he dropped out in disgrace. Same with Cain and Bachmann. Cain is actually running around with Colbert providing more evidence that he is nothing but a joke.

Paul is an ideological stunt candidate, and he says some interesting things and some things I agree with, but everyone knows he isn't actually running for President.

Santorum is a joke. He is more famous as a frothy mixture than anything having to do with his presidential ambitions. Everyone knows he doesn't stand a chance of winning the nomination.

I use to think Romney was the one serious credible candidate, but I think I was wrong about that. The Republicans certainly don't like him.

As for social issues, when we have a$14 trillion debt and a $1 trillion annual deficit, I really don't give a shit about gays getting married or abortion or the other myriad of bullshit social crap that gets the panties if both sides in a wad.

I suspect the reason Romney is running relates to George Romney's (his father) failed 1968 run.

George Romney was a decent governor of Michigan and was popular for balancing the budget without increased taxes. But he didn't make it out of the gate as a presidential candidate due to his famous "brainwashing" comment. It was taken grossly out of context, but it stuck and torpedoed his candidacy.

Mitt is driven to succeed where his father failed, and that leaves him unable to articulate a reason why he wants to be president. Something like Teddy Kennedy's failure over the same subject.

Although the lack of enthusiasm for the GOP candidates at least shows republican voters have higher expectations. Democrats went into orgasmic overdrive for an unqualified empty suit joke of a candidate whose redeeming quality was an ability to read a teleprompter.

Maybe this is just what we get when the bar has been lowered this far.

Andy R. said..."can someone explain why no one credible and qualified is actually running for the Republican nomination?"

Because normal, well-adjusted people don't sign up to have a billion dollars worth of boiling hot slime poured on them by the Obama campaign while taking a run through the media sawmill.

edutcher said..."Santorum is famous as a Senator from PA."

Santorum is famous as the most decisively-rejected Senate candidate in Pennsylvania history.

Richard Dolan said..."This is where you get if you take the Red pill -- Wonderland!

There are times when reality is a pitiless teacher, and this is one of them. You're stuck with the players willing to get on the field, and you've got to figure out how to win with them. No point in fantasizing about the team you could have had.

So stop wimping out and choose -- Mitt or Newt or Rick or Dr. Paulie. Perhaps you're like Bret Stephens this morning, and have concluded that you're stuck with a team of losers and so should expect to lose. Don't be a quitter (that's the worst kind of loser). Make it work!"

What's weird? They separated. They reconciled. That's precisely what we encourage spouses to do. "[T]here are some situations in which living together becomes practically impossible for a variety of reasons. In such cases the Church permits the physical separation of the couple and their living apart. The spouses do not cease to be husband and wife before God and so are not free to contract a new union. In this difficult situation, the best solution would be, if possible, reconciliation. The Christian community is called to help these persons live out their situation in a Christian manner and in fidelity to their marriage bond which remains indissoluble." CCC 1649 (footnote deleted).

cubanbob said..."Isn't Daniels the penultimate in pussy whipped? Do you really want a guy like that as commander-in-chief?"